lay off — stop doing something annoying
phrasal verbB1IELTS 4+informaloccasional
To stop doing something that is bothering or annoying someone.
Say it like a native
Textbook Please stop pestering me about this matter.
Native Just lay off, will you?
'Lay off' is the natural way to tell someone to back off. 'Stop pestering me about this matter' is formal.
Pattern: lay off + (something/someone)
In use
- Can you lay off the noise? I'm trying to study.daily life
- Sometimes, friends need to lay off making jokes if someone feels uncomfortable.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ Lay off to criticise me.
✓ Lay off criticising me. / Lay off me.
'Lay off + -ing' or 'lay off + someone', not 'lay off to + verb'.
Common collocations
lay off— me, him, the jokes, a bit
Don't confuse it
Not about jobs—this sense is about stopping an action, not employment.
Related
- lay off (stop employing) — Another meaning of 'lay off' is 'stop employing'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.